Chapter 31
“No, no, baby. Don’t touch that,” Karli stopped her baby from grabbing a thorny rose and bumped into someone.
“I’m so sorry, sir,” she said, apologizing, as she turned around. “Michael?”
He smiled, excitement dancing in his eyes. “Karli.” He looked over and saw that Hudson was also there. “Hudson.”
“Hello, Mike,” Hudson said uneasily.
Michael cleared his throat and looked at the beautiful one-year-old baby girl. “And what is your name?” He played with her hand.
“We named her Heather Marie,” Karli answered. “Heather Marie Lewis.”
Michael smiled. “After Hudson’s mom and your mom’s middle name. That’s a beautiful tribute.”
“How have you been?” Karli asked, genuinely concerned.
“Business is booming, and I’ve been straight. I can’t complain.” He smiled at them and tried not to stare at their wedding bands. “Congratulations on your nuptials. I saw the announcement in the paper a few months back.”
“Thank you,” they said in unison.
“Listen, I’m going to take Heather over there so we can look for some nice flowers for Grandma,” Hudson said, taking the baby out of Karli’s arms. “It is good to see you, Mike. Take care of yourself.”
“Likewise.”
Flipping her hair back, Karli smiled. “It is good to see you.”
Michael smiled and drank in her mesmerizing features. “You as well. How’s married life treating you?”
“It’s good. I’ve learned to do things differently this time around, and Hudson is amazing.”
Michael smiled. “That’s great. I really am happy for you two.”
“Thank you, Michael.” She smiled at him again. “So no lucky lady in your life?”
“No. I date, but nothing serious.”
“I’m sure the right one will come along,” she said, looking over and noticing that Heather was getting fussy. “I better go before she really starts whining,” she joked, then grew serious again. “Take care of yourself, and tell your parents I said hello.”
“You too,” he said before she walked off and met up with Hudson.
Hudson kissed Karli’s forehead and handed the baby to her, then wrapped his arm around his girls.
As Michael stared at Karli in the distance, he couldn’t help but reflect. “The right one already came along, Karli. I’ll wait a lifetime for you,” he whispered to himself.
“I found the flowers. Are you ready to go?” a voice called behind Michael.
He turned slowly and nodded. “Sure.”
“Is everything all right, honey?” the woman asked.
Michael smiled demurely before taking a deep breath and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “With you here, it will be. Let’s go.”